Modern wireless data communication systems provide bandwidth for use by rich computing applications on mobile devices. For example, users of wireless mobile devices such as smart phones can make telephone calls, receive emails, and even receive full-motion audio/video broadcasts on their mobile devices. Every time a great new service is offered, users of mobile devices consume data associated with the service, requiring more and more bandwidth. As a result, the airwaves are filled with data going to and from an increasing number of mobile computing devices that each requires growing amounts of data.
The rate at which a mobile device transmits data can vary over time. For example, while mobile devices that transmit a stream of audio may transmit a similar level of data during each frame and for an extended series of frames, devices can occasionally send requests for web pages in bursts. The electromagnetic spectrum that mobile devices use for wireless communication is treated as a precious resource. As such, various mechanisms are used to maximize the data that a network of wireless devices and corresponding base stations can exchange in a particular portion of spectrum.